SIFF announces final list of SIFF Projects and young new Chinese talents

The 17th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) has announced a final list of 20 qualifying SIFF Projects. The finalists include works by directors from China and overseas, including Xu Haofeng and Tan Chui Mui.

 Young directors He Kang, Song Fang, Hu Chong Xi and eight other new Chinese talents have been shortlisted in the New Talent Project. The Best Creative Project will be selected by an international jury including the well-known director He Ping and senior producers Ye Rufen and Kwong Man Wai.

Integrated and Upgraded SIFF

STVF and Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) have announced a merger this year. The outcome will result in building a bigger and better platform for exhibitors in China and overseas by offering an International Film & TV Market.

The China Film Pitch & Catch section of SIFF Project is being renamed this year as the New Talent Project. The name change is to more appropriately reflect efforts to promote Chinese films, and foster domestic film production.  New Talent Project will endorse eight projects, paving a way for new talents to enter the TV and film industry. Also, the previous Co-FPC will be incorporated into SIFF Project in the hope of further applying its strengths to facilitate outstanding film projects and promote extensive and diverse cooperation

This year\'s SIFF Project has received a record-breaking 253 film project entries from 24 regions and countries. Through its professionalism and strong market appeal, SIFF over the past eight has attracted increasing industry attention and recognition. It has grown into an incubator for outstanding films and a platform for integrating all industry resources. It has successfully provided opportunities and resources for new talents and film projects. Among them, the productions of Zhang Meng, Leste Chen, Han Jie, Quan Ling, Wang Chao and Diao Yinan have achieved most attention from the industry. Leste Chen, whose work The Great Hypnotist was highly acclaimed and generated great box office returns, once remarked it was this platform that provided his path into the film industry. 

Promotion of the Asian new talents

The New Talent Project annually selects the eight most creative Chinese film directors and their projects to support them in a comprehensive way. The support involves Masters Workshops with interactive lectures, public Project Presentation, and Roundtable talks directly with buyers. The training provides more pragmatic and effective ways for excellent film projects to be transformed into real films.

The SIFF Organizing Committee this year invited well-known director He Ping and senior producers Ye Rufen and Kwong Man Wai to be the jury and appointed

producers Gary Kurtz and Julian Alcantara for the Masters Workshops. The eight selected directors will attend SIFF accompanied by their producers. After the training and public presentation, the Best Creative Project will be selected by the jury and will be awarded 100,000 yuan. The Best Creative Project last year went to Scrape My Bone directed by Li Xiaofeng, and it has completed filming.

Increasingly Significant Brand

Compared with the New Talent Project focusing on the incubation of young Chinese directors, the other 20 projects are of more maturity and diversity. Mature filmmakers are increasingly willing to bring their new works to SIFF to participate in the film market for financing and international cooperation. This indicates the SIFF Project has gradually developed its own brand and professional standing in the industry.

Depending on investor registrations online, the Organizing Committee will arrange face-to-face meetings with investment and production companies from home and abroad for the selected projects. Most market potential projects will go to that with the highest appointment rate and will be awarded.

The leading figure in new martial arts films, Xu Haofeng, whose Great Master won Hong Kong Film Festival\'s best screenplay award, will bring his short film Shi Fu to SIFF. Winner of the "People\'s Literature Award for Best Short Story Award," he plans to adapt it into a film.

SIFF Project will be held from June 13 to 16. All finalists can be checked on the official SIFF website, www.siff.com.